Welcome To The Revolution
by Funky In Fishnet
Summary: Paige is feeling sick and can't help thinking that Alicia Fox is to blame. So Paige tries to deal with the sudden sickness, that could mean her Divas title is taken away, by hiding on-board the Exotic Express. She's among friends.


_**Disclaimer: **I own nothing._

_**Author Note: **Set during Paige's first Divas Championship reign, back before Seth Rollins' June 2014 heel turn. Title is a lyric from the song 'Break Away' which is Adam Rose's entrance music._

* * *

**WELCOME TO THE REVOLUTION**

Paige knew that something was wrong. Her stomach was rolling and her limbs felt tired and heavy. What the fuck was going on? She'd been fine in the ring not ten minutes ago. Shakily, she shoved her water bottle into her bag, trying to get a grip on herself. She focused on her gear, on its reassuring familiarity, there was her wallet, her phone, her towel, her title belt, everything that she usually brought to the arena, except...there was something caught in the bag's zip. It was a piece of soft black fur, fake fur, the kind that Alicia Fox usually wore around her shoulders.

Paige stared at the fur. Had Alicia been looking through her stuff? Why else would she have been so close to Paige's bag? Could she have_ caused_ Paige's sudden sickness? Paige's gaze fell onto her water bottle. She'd used it before her match and she'd been fine in the ring, but Alicia could have easily spiked it while Paige was busy putting on a show. Had the water tasted funny? Not that she'd noticed but it was the only thing that Paige had consumed since returning from the ring and Alicia had been acting _really_ crazy recently, telling Paige to watch her back, her front, her everything, claiming that immense pain was only a moment away for Paige. Winning the title was only half of Alicia's aim, she really wanted to hurt Paige too. Maybe she was on her way to Paige's locker room right now so that she could kick Paige while she was down. Fuck.

Seth had a match soon, he had to focus on dealing with Evolution, so did Dean and Roman. Was this connected to Evolution? God, Paige was overthinking things, wasn't she? Renee was busy doing interviews right now and the Total Divas girls kept completely to themselves and while Summer Rae definitely wasn't accepted by that group, she couldn't be trusted either. If this was Alicia's doing and Paige really wouldn't put it past her, then Alicia had chosen exactly the right time and place to do it. Paige could barely keep her thoughts straight, let alone her right-hook.

She pushed her way past the locker room door, her bag slung haphazardly over one shoulder, and made for the car park. She couldn't tell management about this, what proof did she have? Alicia would just roll her eyes and say that Paige evidently couldn't handle the pressure of the big time if she was seeing such weird conspiracies around every corner. Alicia could use this to get her hands on the Divas Title. So Paige had to deal with this herself without management finding out about it or Alicia exploiting it.

There was singing, was Paige imagining it? No, she could see people dancing too, beside a very familiar-looking bus. Adam Rose was here. Relief and determination flooded through her and she managed to stay on her feet, getting lost amongst the eye-popping outfits that the Rosebuds were wearing, nobody would notice her amongst all that madness. She reached the bus' steps but the Rosebuds wouldn't let her past. Paige had gotten to know Adam at NXT and while some people dismissed him as an airhead who had no business being in the WWE, Paige had seen how smart he could be. He was a great wrestler, a fact that people didn't tend to actually notice due to the amount of crazy fun he was always determined to have. And he regularly surrounded himself with people who looked out for him, like they were doing right now. Paige also knew that she could trust him, a singularly important fact.

"Tell Adam I need to see him," she told the girl in the American flag bustier. "Paige needs to see him."

A horrible cramp caused Paige to double over at that moment and there was a clatter of footsteps before warm hands began touching her shoulders.

"Oh sunbeam, what's happened to you?"

Paige managed to grimace a smile up towards Adam. "Alicia."

Adam's eyebrows shot up but he didn't ask any more questions for now. "And your boyfriend's busy making sure the Authority have more fun, isn't he? Come on."

He wrapped an arm around her and helped her into the bus. Paige couldn't hear Alicia being outraged or crazy nearby, maybe Alicia hadn't planned on following her and beating her down. Maybe she just wanted Paige to suffer and overthink everything. Well mission bloody accomplished.

Adam guided Paige through the packed bus until they got past the small kitchen. There he stopped and opened a door, showing Paige into a compact little bedroom. There was a bed, a wardrobe, and a tiny sink but that was it. Adam settled her down on the bed and made sure that her bag was hidden underneath it. Then he stuck his head outside the room so that he could yell for someone. A pretty redhead in sparkly revealing black and a silver domino mask quickly arrived, dancing happily. Paige's stomach rolled in protest and she lay back, grateful for the soft stable bed.

Oh fuck, was she going to need to go to a hospital? She probably had enough money on her to pay for any treatment but spending the night in hospital was not on Paige's 'to do' list especially because management would definitely hear about a hospital stay. The pain was getting worse though, Alicia would probably tell significant people that Paige couldn't handle the pace of life on the road, that a more experienced WWE Diva should hold the title, that if Paige was any kind of champion she'd relinquish it due to her illness or just incompetence or that Paige should put it on the line at the next show, even if she was still recovering, because that was what a real champion would do. Or was Paige just getting really paranoid now, a side effect of whatever had happened to her?

"We've got a little _sunflower_ situation," Adam was telling the redhead.

The redhead looked surprised and her gaze focused on Paige's stomach in a way that made Adam shake his head. "_Sunflower_, not tulip, sweetheart."

The girl seemed to be frowning beneath her mask, and then suddenly looked as though she'd received clarity of some kind. "Right, sorry!"

"Help her get comfortable, I'll send Joey back here once he's done with the hippos." Adam leant down to speak to Paige. "Don't you worry, sunbeam, we've got you. I'll let your young man know where you are, yeah?"

Yes, a very good idea. If Seth couldn't get in touch with her once his match was done, he wasn't likely to behave rationally. It was understandable, if he went missing then Paige would probably get pretty crazy. She lifted a clammy hand to clasp Adam's, he squeezed her fingers and then quickly disappeared.

The redhead shut the door behind him and perched on the end of the bed. "I'm Darcy. You're Paige, right?"

Paige managed a pained smile. "Yeah, hi."

She managed to loosen her jeans' zip and tried to get comfortable on the bed. Darcy watched her carefully for a moment and suddenly left the room, returning with a glass of water and a straw.

"Here." She helped Paige sit up and sip the water through the straw. "God, stomach cramps are the worst, aren't they?"

Paige gave her a slightly glassy-eyed look, her mouth twisting in a grimace. "Especially if they're deliberate."

Surprisingly Darcy didn't comment. Her touch was light as she helped Paige drink more water and then lie back down again. She talked quietly, keeping Paige awake and coherent. Paige learnt that the Joey they were waiting for was actually a junior doctor and that Darcy was a law student who joined up with the Exotic Express whenever she had time and when she really needed a break from her studies. Adam was apparently very accommodating and always let her know when the bus was passing.

Darcy paused in her stories, her face puckered with concern. "Do you need a bucket?"

For vomiting. Paige shook her head. "I wish, that might make me feel better. Everything's heavy or on fire right now."

Darcy patted her hand. "There's a hospital on our route out of here, we'll call ahead and have them ready for you. And don't worry, Adam'll pay for everything."

That was unexpected, even though Adam overflowed with generosity it was still a big thing to pay someone's hospital bills. She and Adam were friends but they didn't spend a lot of time together. He had his partying and Paige was pretty solitary as a rule, though of course there was Seth now and the rest of the Shield. Thinking about anything other than the pain in her stomach and who could be responsible for it and why was a really good thing so Paige tried to focus and grasp for distracting topics.

"What's a tulip situation?"

Darcy smiled. "You're not the first person to need medical help on the Exotic Express. Claudia found out she was pregnant and sort of freaked out because it wasn't planned and she didn't have the money to cope with everything. Adam helped her out though."

Darcy futzed with her phone and then revealed a photograph of a chubby drooling baby with tufts of dark hair and wide searching eyes. It was dressed in a white onesie, decorated with a vivid cartoon rosebud. The next photo Darcy displayed was of the baby again in the arms of a smiling Asian girl with sculpted tattooed arms, Claudia probably. Paige shook her head with an amused disbelieving smile. Of course Adam had taken care of a pregnant Rosebud's financial needs, of course he'd kept in touch. He had a home in the Bahamas and enough disposal income to keep the Exotic Express running while also housing a lot of Rosebuds. He was totally unique and honestly pretty amazing.

As though summoned by her thoughts, Adam popped back into the room, bringing a stranger with him who was shrugging off what looked like a straitjacket. Paige blinked but honestly wasn't that surprised, she'd seen weirder outfits amongst the people that Adam liked to party with.

"Darcy been taking good care of you?" Adam asked, shutting the door again to keep out the noise.

Paige managed to nod her head and Darcy looked pleased as she got to her feet so that Adam could sit down. He reached out and brushed Paige's hair away from her face, an affectionate gesture that probably would have given her the creeps if dolled out by almost anybody else. That was Adam all over.

"Your young man's doing some very nice work. I left a message for him in the crawlspace that he and his buddies call home. He'll know where to find you."

That was good. Paige smiled hazily as she thought about Seth. It felt like hours since she'd last seen him. Her mind dove back to why. This could all be an Authority plot, it could be Alicia, it could be an unexpected stomach bug but that didn't seem likely, did it? Adam gestured towards the stranger no longer wearing a straitjacket.

"This is Joey. He'll take good care of you."

Joey turned out to be personable and professional and was able to put Paige at ease despite the lack of space in the room and how sick she was feeling. He asked what she'd eaten and drunk as he pressed careful but confident fingers to her stomach. He checked her heartbeat, inside her mouth and down her throat.

"She kept water down," Darcy put in helpfully.

Joey nodded. "You don't feel any worse, Paige?"

Paige shook her head. "It's been pretty much the same level of pain throughout."

"Okay, well there's some tablets I can give you to flush your system out. But if your condition doesn't improve in a couple of days, you'll need to go to hospital."

Paige grimaced but thanked Joey as he left to find her some pills; he apparently always brought a supply of basics with him, things that the Rosebuds might need if there was an emergency. Adam paid for whatever Joey told him they'd need, Adam took care of his own.

Once Paige had swallowed the pills that Joey had retrieved, both Joey and Darcy left the room, the party was still going on of course. Adam stayed and brushed a friendly hand down her arm. He looked concerned but positive.

"We almost had a party crasher earlier. Foxy Alicia was looking for you."

Paige tried to sit up but her stomach hurt too much and Adam firmly made sure that she lay down again. She hadn't been paranoid after all; Alicia had been looking to kick her while she was down. Oh, wait a minute.

"She didn't hurt anyone, did she? When she was trying to get on the bus?"

Adam shook his head. "Not one Rosebud was harmed in the making of this party. They wanted to help you out anyway, Alicia's foxy but she's still a lemon."

"And a sunflower?"

Adam grinned. "Sometimes, you can't see the Rosebuds for the sunflowers. Sadly, this isn't the first time someone unwanted has tried to crash my party. You'd think they'd get the message."

So Adam had codewords to keep his Rosebuds on their guard and safe. Darcy regularly hopped aboard the Exotic Express to give herself a break from law student life, it stood to reason that some people might get on-board to escape other more dangerous things. Adam seemed to take it all in his stride though, his life might have looked unbelievably chaotic and frivolous but there was a lot going on under the surface. And his mind was actually extremely sharp and his heart was big and in the right place.

He brushed a thumb across Paige's cheek. "You get some sleep, sunbeam. The Rosebuds know this is a sunflower situation. See how you feel when you wake up."

Paige watched him leave the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The music that consumed the bus seemed to get significantly quieter, as did the constant noise of stomping feet. Alicia had been turned away, Paige didn't have to go to the hospital yet and Seth knew where to find her. She could let go of some of her worries for now. Her limbs still felt weighty though and Joey hadn't said that she couldn't sleep. So she curled up and closed her heavy eyelids. It felt amazing.

* * *

Paige didn't know what had woken her up but as soon as her eyes were open, she dove down to scrabble under the bed for her bag. There was her Divas Championship belt, safe and sound, and there was her phone with a message from Seth – _SOS if you need to get away. Waiting at the start._ Paige frowned, why would Seth have gone back to the hotel, unless...the bus was moving.

Paige was just getting to her feet when Adam opened the door. "Look who's on her feet again. How're you feeling?"

Paige mentally took stock before answering; her stomach felt closer to settled now, the medication must have worked, though she did have a strong desire to use the bathroom. Her limbs were still heavy but not as bad as they had been. Okay, that was progress. She could smile without grimacing too.

"Better, thanks."

Adam spread his arms out. "And not a lemon in sight."

Paige perked up at that, immediately catching his meaning "We haven't got a sunflower situation?"

"Not anymore."

Paige hugged him quickly and accepted the yellow lollipop that he gave her with the confiding phrase "Sorry these don't come in black, sunbeam."

She smiled and tucked it into her jeans pocket. "But it's the thought that counts, right?"

"Absolutely," Adam smiled widely. "Here's another one, we'll park up round the back of the hotel. Then you can sneak in amongst my Rosebuds, just in case there's prying eyes about."

It sounded like Adam had everything figured out. It sounded like he and his Rosebuds had done this kind of thing before. He wasn't finished though.

"You take care of yourself, sunbeam. And if you need to stow yourself again or somewhere to party, you know who to call, okay? And you should come visit me in the Bahamas soon, it's glorious in and out of season even if you want to keep yourself out the sun. Bring your young man, he hasn't stopped texting me for updates. I don't know why he didn't join us on the bus in the first place."

Paige bit her lip because wherever Seth went, Dean and Roman followed and the idea of those two on the Exotic Express was hilarious. Maybe Adam thought so too because his eyes were twinkling. It was good to laugh now, Alicia hadn't gotten everything her own painful way tonight and so far, management hadn't called either, worried about Paige's health and fitness. If Paige kept improving, then she'd be ready to defend her title at the next show against Alicia or anybody else who wanted to try. And nearby, Seth was waiting for her. God, she was looking forward to seeing him.

She had a lot to thank Adam for; too many people would have just thrown her to the wolves instead of helping her so completely and unselfishly. And he'd invited her to visit him in the Bahamas, which was amazing because from what she'd heard it was a gorgeous place. She'd never been there before and she did love to travel.

She nudged him in the ribs, staying on her feet when he nudged her back. "I think I owe you a drink, Adam."

"Oh sunbeam, I think we can do better than that. We owe each other a party!"

Which Seth, Dean and Ambrose would no doubt attend because after hearing about Alicia's plot, Seth would want to make sure that Paige was safe, especially in that kind of environment. Also, he actually did like to party. What people saw on screen was the smug vicious side of Seth, the side that meant he survived and thrived in the WWE. He didn't reveal every layer for the world to see, after all he was smarter than that. He let Paige know more of him though. She smiled and high-fived Adam.

"This is going to be fun," she decided.

And it was.

_-the end_


End file.
